Government posts poor score on service delivery

The government has named the best and worst performing districts in a new scorecard that rates local governments across the country.

Out of the 153 local governments assessed by a team from the Office of the Prime Minister, 134 were district local governments with 19 municipalities. 

Western Uganda dominates with eight districts in the top 10.

According to the results, which were released yesterday in Kampala, western region dominated with eight districts in the top 10.

At the top of the list was Ibanda local government with 82 per cent. Kabarole and Isingiro districts share second position with 79 per cent. 

Rubanda and Rubirizi districts complete the top five with scores of 72 per cent and 68 per cent respectively. 

Ngora District with 66 per cent is the best in the eastern region while Mpigi with a score of 64 per cent is the best in the central region. 

At the bottom of the scorecard is Bugweri with only five per cent followed by Madi-Okollo (7 per cent), Karenga (10 per cent) as well as Abim and Kaabong districts (both at 11 per cent). 

The scorecard also known as the Government Annual Performance Review (GAPR) is compiled by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). 

However, there was a sharp decline in district local governments’ targets (36 per cent down from 58 per cent), which was said to be triggered by the pandemic.

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja conceded that an achievement rate of “36 per cent at programme outcome level against the National Development Plan III (NDPIII) target” was “low.”

The areas assessed at local government level include education, health, roads and engineering, water, natural resource, and community based services. 

“Overall, all the assessed areas performed below average with education scoring 44 per cent, followed by water and environment at 36 per cent,” the report reads in part.

Key reasons for the steep decline in performance was the low staff turn up in various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs). 

The poor turn up was occasioned by the pandemic that forced the government to scale down on staff in various offices. 

Low implementation of revenue collection plans of which only 15 per cent was done as well as low recruitment of district engineers with local government also did not help matters.

The government has promised to rectify past mistakes made. 

Already, Local Government junior minister Victoria Rushoke is recommending that it focuses on implementing biting policies that will compel accounting officers to deliver on their mandates.

“Institutional monitoring is the basic thing to be done. Day to day internal monitoring is one of the best approaches. We need to tighten policies and ensure that the good ones are strongly adhered to, we have to do intensive internal monitoring,” Ms Rushoke said.

As a motivating factor, the President of Uganda Local Government Association, Mr Joseph Lomonyang, wants local government districts that have been consistent in performance to be used as benchmarks.

“Those that have been performing poorly for a long time should also be investigated to establish why they keep failing so that we know what they need to improve,” he said.  

The Vice President, Ms Jessica Alupo, recommended that accounting officers work towards improving financial discipline within MDAs. 

She urged them to pay attention to measures that are meant to safeguard the country against the pandemic.

“We should endeavour to deliver measurable results in our country and strengthen the reporting culture in all our departments,” Ms Alupo said.

Ms Nabbanja vowed to push for change through her office and compel accounting officers to deliver accordingly.

“I will also engage each of the MDAs responsible for the implementation of the aforementioned recommended actions from the Financial Year 2019/2020 GAPR that are still off-track to ensure real time results are realised,” Ms Nabbanja said. 

He added: “My office shall fast track the efforts made by various stakeholders in the push towards realisation of the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] especially on the SDGs indicators whose performance has been reported in the GAPR as stagnant.”

The GAPR assessment started in the Financial Year 2017/2018 as one of many reforms under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Reforms. 

Three years after inception, the assessment process was revised and more aspects were included. 

Micro scale irrigation performance was one of the areas that were introduced in the 2020 assessment. 

The assessment aims at promoting good practice in administration, resource management and accountability. 

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